Animal Appreciation Thread

[DirtyDan]

My family and I had to put down our 16 year old shih tzu a couple weeks ago. He was with me and my brother for a good portion of our childhood. We adopted him when he was 3 months old. His quality of life had declined quite a bit and he likely did not have much time left. I am happy he is no longer suffering, but I miss him so much. My brother was heartbroken.

I just keep in mind, he loved us unconditionally and in his time of need, we made the best decision we could to help end his pain. That's what it means to be a pet owner imo. Us taking care of him until the very end.

 

[KevinLoveFan]

Good news on Mallory: vet prescribed corticosteroids for her in hopes of reducing swelling so her retinas could reattach. After several days, it seems to be working-- her eyes are no longer dilated and she can track my finger movements! She seems to have regained some sight!

 

[Deezus]

Ugh... @DirtyDan I feel you here, buddy.

My cat, and only "solo" pet that I adopted, Jackson, is getting pretty bad. He's 17 now, has diabetes, and I worry that the insulin isn't very effective for him. He drinks a TON and pisses a TON and it is becoming a huge burden for my wife, my kids, and I. Not to mention, insulin is expensive, as is his $80/bag cat food. I'm probably spending $300/month on him, if I'm being honest. Plus quality of life.

I absolutely hate this, but I've been grappling with the idea of putting him to sleep for over a month now. I might pull the trigger tomorrow... but I just can't imagine looking him in the eyes as I put him in his crate and take him to the vet.

 

[AllforOne]

Man. Between @DirtyDan and @Deezus , somebody has been slicing onions in here. There are few things worse than putting down a pet. At a certain point, you realize that you're keeping the pet alive for your own reasons, not the pet's ... and the best thing you can do, albeit the saddest, is say goodbye.

Peter King (the longtime NFL writer) did a great column about 20 years ago about putting down his dog. I can't find the original column anymore, but did see a copy posted on this forum: http://www.stlbirdsonthebat.org/showthread.php?3098-Peter-King-s-MMQB

 

[N7RobBob]

To try to lighten up the thread. Here's some Glaceon and Charles Brandon caught snuggling.

 

[Sebastian]

Ugh... @DirtyDan I feel you here, buddy.

My cat, and only "solo" pet that I adopted, Jackson, is getting pretty bad. He's 17 now, has diabetes, and I worry that the insulin isn't very effective for him. He drinks a TON and pisses a TON and it is becoming a huge burden for my wife, my kids, and I. Not to mention, insulin is expensive, as is his $80/bag cat food. I'm probably spending $300/month on him, if I'm being honest. Plus quality of life.

I absolutely hate this, but I've been grappling with the idea of putting him to sleep for over a month now. I might pull the trigger tomorrow... but I just can't imagine looking him in the eyes as I put him in his crate and take him to the vet.

Other than pissing a lot, how is he doing?

 

[Deezus]

Other than pissing a lot, how is he doing?

I’m genuinely sorry to be a source of negative posts, but within 5 minutes of posting in this thread, he lost control of his bladder and pissed all over our laundry room. It’s not his fault. I know this.

Besides the piss, his back legs have been getting weak to the point of struggling to go up/down stairs, his breathing was extremely labored, and he was starting to show signs of not grooming himself for the first time.

I gave him a good meal and ripped “the bandaid” off 45 mins ago. I wish it was the most brutal thing I’ve ever done, but I’ll save those stories for another thread or never.

This was my bro for 17 years… I’ve always worked from home and he was my company. He’s seen me get married, move back to Ohio (he was adopted in NC), have 3 kids, and comfort my oldest during her cancer treatment on the rare occasion she could come home.

I just put him down and I’m an absolute mess.

Sorry again for the negative post and thx to you all for listening/reading. I sat with him the entire time and held him upside down like a baby as he fell away.

 

[Deezus]

 

[N7RobBob]

I’m genuinely sorry to be a source of negative posts, but within 5 minutes of posting in this thread, he lost control of his bladder and pissed all over our laundry room. It’s not his fault. I know this.

Besides the piss, his back legs have been getting weak to the point of struggling to go up/down stairs, his breathing was extremely labored, and he was starting to show signs of not grooming himself for the first time.

I gave him a good meal and ripped “the bandaid” off 45 mins ago. I wish it was the most brutal thing I’ve ever done, but I’ll save those stories for another thread or never.

This was my bro for 17 years… I’ve always worked from home and he was my company. He’s seen me get married, move back to Ohio (he was adopted in NC), have 3 kids, and comfort my oldest during her cancer treatment on the rare occasion she could come home.

I just put him down and I’m an absolute mess.

Sorry again for the negative post and thx to you all for listening/reading. I sat with him the entire time and held him upside down like a baby as he fell away.

That's rough. I'm sorry for your loss.

My intention was to celebrate when I posted me boys. This is meant for how they impact our lives. Feel free to continue to post as much as you need. We are here for you.

 

[Wham311]

I’m genuinely sorry to be a source of negative posts, but within 5 minutes of posting in this thread, he lost control of his bladder and pissed all over our laundry room. It’s not his fault. I know this.

Besides the piss, his back legs have been getting weak to the point of struggling to go up/down stairs, his breathing was extremely labored, and he was starting to show signs of not grooming himself for the first time.

I gave him a good meal and ripped “the bandaid” off 45 mins ago. I wish it was the most brutal thing I’ve ever done, but I’ll save those stories for another thread or never.

This was my bro for 17 years… I’ve always worked from home and he was my company. He’s seen me get married, move back to Ohio (he was adopted in NC), have 3 kids, and comfort my oldest during her cancer treatment on the rare occasion she could come home.

I just put him down and I’m an absolute mess.

Sorry again for the negative post and thx to you all for listening/reading. I sat with him the entire time and held him upside down like a baby as he fell away.

You had to do it. Don't let the end affect the 17 years of good times you had together.

 

[Sebastian]

I’m genuinely sorry to be a source of negative posts, but within 5 minutes of posting in this thread, he lost control of his bladder and pissed all over our laundry room. It’s not his fault. I know this.

Besides the piss, his back legs have been getting weak to the point of struggling to go up/down stairs, his breathing was extremely labored, and he was starting to show signs of not grooming himself for the first time.

I gave him a good meal and ripped “the bandaid” off 45 mins ago. I wish it was the most brutal thing I’ve ever done, but I’ll save those stories for another thread or never.

This was my bro for 17 years… I’ve always worked from home and he was my company. He’s seen me get married, move back to Ohio (he was adopted in NC), have 3 kids, and comfort my oldest during her cancer treatment on the rare occasion she could come home.

I just put him down and I’m an absolute mess.

Sorry again for the negative post and thx to you all for listening/reading. I sat with him the entire time and held him upside down like a baby as he fell away.

I am so sorry.

But it was for the best, it sounds like he was ready to go.

He had the best life imaginable.

 

[Deezus]

I’ll shut up now… but I fucking love you guys and this forum.

Thank you for this today. It helped me mentally.

I promise I’ll post more positive stuff about my 2 idiot (I mean that in a loving way) doggos and our other cat named “Raleigh”.

 

[KevinLoveFan]

@Deezus So sorry to hear. My family and I have had many cats over the years, and putting them down is always hard. But sometimes there's just nothing else left you or the vets can do for the pet, so I totally get it.

Nearly 20 years is a good lifespan for a cat. They're living longer these days than when I was growing up; my sister also had a cat pass away a year or two ago who made it around that age. My Mallory is almost 10. Other than her eyesight issues (of indeterminate cause; oftentimes it's high blood pressure, but it's difficult for vets to get an accurate measure, so they didn't take hers), she's doing well. I hope to get another 5-10 years with her.

 

[Mr. Orange]

My family and I had to put down our 16 year old shih tzu a couple weeks ago. He was with me and my brother for a good portion of our childhood. We adopted him when he was 3 months old. His quality of life had declined quite a bit and he likely did not have much time left. I am happy he is no longer suffering, but I miss him so much. My brother was heartbroken.

I just keep in mind, he loved us unconditionally and in his time of need, we made the best decision we could to help end his pain. That's what it means to be a pet owner imo. Us taking care of him until the very end.

I’m sorry about your dog. I have a shih tzu/silky terrrier mix, who turns 14 this summer and it’s hard to imagine life without him. He is in good health so I hope he has 2-3 more years. Even writing it makes me sad. Small dogs are the best dogs and I’m man enough to say it.

 

[Sebastian]